New Brand + Website Design for Patriot Advantage

One of my favorite things about working with design clients, is not only when I get to design their brand, but also when they allow me to take that beautiful new brand and implement online.

I was thrilled when Mary Elaine and Brett Baker approached me this past spring to do just that. Not only are they a fellow military family, but Mary Elaine and I have worked on past styled shoots together, so we already knew we’d be a great fit working together.

Their new business venture, Patriot Advantage, provides a wide range of virtual services for small to medium sized business owners/entrepreneurs, from the day to day administrative tasks, such as checking emails and scheduling, to invoicing and social media marketing. Part of their business model is to primarily hire military spouses.

As soon as I heard their mission, I knew this would be one of my most favorite projects to date!

I’m obsessed with how the finished brand came together, but the style guide only gives you a small taste of the finished project.

Here’s a look at the step-by-step process for designing the Patriot Advantage brand and website.

Step 1: Discovery + Inspiration

Before I begin designing anything, I send my clients a series of questionnaires depending on the project. I ask them to fill out their “client homework” to understand their vision and help the design process run smoothly.

Part of the questionnaire is identifying a list of adjectives they want their brand to convey.

Mary Elaine and Brett chose the following:

Professional

Modern

Elite

Patriotic

Innovative

They also made it known that they wanted to stay away from cliche patriotic elements and colors.

With a clear direction in mind, I began curating their mood board, a collection of images, color, and typography. I could refer back to this while designing their logo and other graphic elements.

Here’s what I came up with for Mary Elaine and Brett:

They were pretty set on a general color palette: navy, yellow, and gold accents. I combined that color inspiration with their adjectives in mind when searching for imagery. And because their business would largely comprise of work-from-home military spouses, I wanted my selections to reflect that.

The navy contributes to an overall feel of modern and professional, while the yellow adds a nice contrast and warmth. And the gold accents resonate with elite service.

Step 2: Design + Development

Once the mood board was finalized and approved, I moved onto designing their logo.

I kept in mind they wanted a clean, minimal, and modern look. They also mentioned wanting they’re logo and collateral marks to be text-heavy, so any additional icons weren’t necessary.

I initially provided them with several drafts, but in the end they chose this logo:

After finalizing the logo, I designed the complimentary logo variations, sub marks, and other branding collateral, displayed on their style guide above.

Step 3: Implement + Grow

After delivering their finalized brand, it was time to take it online with a full Squarespace website design!

Much like their brand, they wanted their website to be clean, modern, and easy to navigate, so I chose a template that would most reflect that. I customized each page design to allow their audience to navigate with ease, while also making their mission, services, and clear.

I am so please with how Mary Elaine and Brett’s project turned out, and they were a dream to work with! I’d love to hear your thoughts below!

What do you think about the new brand and website for Patriot Advantage?